


take a breath and dive in deep

by oceansideeyes



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Coffee date, F/F, First Kiss, Graduation, Irrational Fears, M/M, She's a badass, all claudia's friends are lesbians, socially awkward rayla, supportive big brother soren, swim captain claudia, viren is a bad parent as always, viren's ex-wife's name is julianna
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-18
Updated: 2019-08-18
Packaged: 2020-09-06 09:40:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20289361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oceansideeyes/pseuds/oceansideeyes
Summary: Claudia had hoped to leave high school without any reason to come back. She wanted to run and never look back. When her cousin introduced her to someone new, her life got flipped on its head.Everything she had wanted was not what she really wanted, but she didn't know that yet.





	take a breath and dive in deep

**Author's Note:**

> title is haunting by halsey!
> 
> so this was kind of a whim fic, bc i was texting my friend cute raydia fic ideas and got carried away with this one. so here you go! i hope you enjoy it!

Rayla had always hated the water. Every time her dads wanted to take her to the beach, she refused to go and threw tantrums because she didn't want to go. Runaan would always confide in his husband, disclosing his concern about Rayla's irrational fear of water.

This fear persisted through school, until junior year when Rayla met Claudia, senior captain of the swim team. Rayla had been friends with Callum, Claudia's cousin. Well, sort of cousin. Their dads (Harrow and Viren) were close enough that they considered each other family, which led their kids to be "cousins." Callum introduced Rayla to Claudia after they attended her first swim meet of the season. Claudia had now exited the pool after the competition when Callum approached her. "Hey Callum," she smirked, twisting the water out of her hair. "Glad to see you came to the meet." She paused, scanning the girl beside him. "Who's this?" Rayla shifted her gaze away from Claudia, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"Claudia, this is Rayla," Callum introduced, beaming. "She's my best friend. Rayla, this is Claudia, my cousin." Claudia held out her hand to shake Rayla's, awkwardly waiting for Rayla to take the hint. Rayla soon realized that she was standing stiffly and shook Claudia's hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Rayla," Claudia greeted, flashing Rayla a bright smile. "Did you enjoy the show?" She teased gently.

"I..." Rayla hesitated, not wanting to tell the truth nor lie. "I partially enjoyed it?" Callum smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand. 

"How so?" Claudia reached for her towel that was sitting on the chair beside where she stood, wrapping it around her.

"I'm afraid of the water, so I really don't like standing by this pool, but I came because Callum said I had to." Both women laughed. "But I did enjoy watching you swim, the way you would glide through the water, it was really incredible." Claudia raised her eyebrow, biting her lip, embarrassing Rayla further. "I-I meant that I enjoyed watching the whole team swim."

Claudia chuckled, "Sure, babes, whatever you say." She winked slyly. "I have to head to the locker room now, so I'll see you around. Hey, Callum, if you see Soren, tell him I'll be out in five minutes." Callum nodded and escorted Rayla out of the pool room. They arrived outside, meeting up with Soren and Viren, who was forced to come by Soren.

"Hey," Callum said as they stopped by Soren. "Claudia said she'll be out in five minutes."

Soren high-fived Callum. "Thanks, dude." He smiled as someone tapped his shoulder. It was Marcos, Soren's boyfriend, and Soren's face lit up. "Marcos!" He exclaimed, hugging the black-haired boy. "I didn't see you during the meet, where were you?"

Marcos shook his head, laughing. "Soren, calm down. I couldn't come to sit with you because I was working. I was helping Claudia as the assistant coach." He kissed Soren's nose. "She's a fantastic swimmer, it's really an honor to coach her." Soren smiled, leaning into Marcos's body. Callum smiled at them while Rayla was staring at the door to the girls' locker room.

Meanwhile, in the locker room, an entirely different scenario was occurring. Claudia was changing next to her locker while her teammates and friends, Sara and Kimmy, were teasing her. "That girl in the stands next to your cousin couldn't keep her eyes off of you," Sara giggled, burying her face in Kimmy's shoulder. "I'd say it's hilarious, but she had some serious eyes for you."

"Hey, you can't say much," Claudia retorted, a playful glint in her eye. "Kimmy couldn't stop staring at you the whole match either."

"That's not true!" Kimmy exclaimed, barely hiding her embarrassment. "I would never!" Sara laughed, draping her arms over Kimmy.

"Babe, you can't hide it. I knew you were watching me, don't lie." Sara kissed Kimmy's cheek. "It's okay, everyone knows about us." Kimmy relaxed, putting her hands on Sara's waist. "I wish you were out there today."

Claudia fake-vomited. "Get a room, you two," she grumbled, winking at them. Sara rolled her eyes, smiling as she ran a hand through Kimmy's pastel pink hair. "Seriously though, that girl doesn't like me. She's a junior, Sara. It wouldn't work even if she did."

Sara shrugged. "It wouldn't hurt to try, would it?" She tied her still wet black hair until a high ponytail as she slipped into her loose-fitting, cropped Fall Out Boy tank top. "Don't shut yourself off the idea of love because you want to leave high school with no strings attached. Sometimes it's good to have a reason to come back, Clauds." Claudia sighed, shaking her head.

"I'll see you on Monday," she replied, gathering her stuff in her swim bag. "Be careful tonight, you two," she warned, using the gestures for _I've got my eyes on you._ She left the room, leaving Sara and Kimmy giggling. Once outside, she spotted her brother, Marcos, Callum, and Rayla directly outside the door. She waved at them and was about to head over when another girl on the team, Jess, pulled her aside.

"Hey, Claudia," Jess mumbled, "I heard Kimmy and Sara talking about throwing a party after the invitational next week because it's going to be our last meet as swimmers for the Katolis High Dragons. They'll probably message you tonight, but I just thought I'd let you know. I'll see you on Monday!" Jess hugged Claudia before running off to find her parents. Claudia approached Soren, Marcos, Callum, and Rayla, finding Viren nowhere in sight.

"Where's Dad?" Claudia asked, scanning the room in a vain attempt to find him.

"He's out in the car," Soren answered solemnly. "He said you were taking too long and that he needed to get home, but he hasn't left yet." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Let's head home, it's been a long day." The siblings waved goodbye to their friends and got into the car with their father. "Hi Dad," Soren greeted, sitting in the backseat with Claudia, who didn't bother saying anything.

"You're late," he snapped, starting the car in a huff. "What took you so long?" Soren opened his mouth to speak, but Claudia cut him off. She stared into his eyes, showing him that she means business.

"Don't bother. It's useless," Claudia muttered, turning towards the window. Her face became devoid of emotion as if she became a blank slate. Viren spoke up again, and Claudia tried to ignore him, but he was screaming too loud for her to be able to ignore him. "Dad, I got ready as fast as I could, would you drop it already?"

"Claudia," Viren spat sternly. "Don't take that tone of voice with me, I just have things to do tonight." Claudia rolled her eyes dramatically.

"Of course you do," she gritted her teeth angrily. "Just drive home." Viren glared at Claudia, but soon realized she wasn't paying attention and drove them home silently. Soren tried to get Claudia's attention, but she ignored him the rest of the ride home.

Once home, Claudia immediately went to her room, slamming the door as she threw her bag down. "This is supposed to be the senior year I've been waiting for, where I make it to states, where I get to be the perfect daughter everyone's expecting from me, but I'm not that!" She picked up a pillow and threw it at the wall. "All I wanted was to make my family proud of the legacy I'd leave at school, but now I can barely make the top ten spots for time and form." At her bedroom door came a scratching sound, and she opened the door to find the family Shih Tzu waiting for her. "Milo! My baby," she cooed, picking up the puppy. She left the door open while she played with the puppy on the floor, rolling around while getting licked in the face. "Milo, c'mon! Now I have to wash my face!" Claudia's laugh floated through the house, bringing life back to the now dreary place. Soren sat downstairs but followed the sound of laughter up to Claudia's room, smiling when he saw the way she was playing with Milo. Soren didn't live in the family house anymore, but he visited them regularly, especially when Claudia had meets and tournaments for swimming. The one thing he missed from being home was playing with Milo and seeing how happy Claudia was with him.

"Hey Clauds," Soren spoke up, leaning against the doorframe. "Enjoying puppy time, huh?" He sat down on the floor beside Claudia. "Well, I guess he's not really a puppy anymore, is he?"

"Not really, but I knew what you meant," Claudia replied, petting Milo happily. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to come up here to talk," he explained, "because earlier today, a lot of things happened, and I think that you're not telling me everything." Claudia's face fell, and Soren knew he hit close to home. "I don't want to force you to tell me everything, but I don't want you to feel like you can't talk to me because we don't live together anymore." Milo curled up on Claudia's lap and fell asleep.

"Soren, now really isn't a good time -"

"Claudia, I'm serious. I know I'm never serious, but this is one of those things that I want you to know that you can talk to me about." Soren gave Claudia a bear hug, comforting her. "I know it's been tough, but I'm proud of you, Claudia." Tears formed in Claudia's eyes when there was a knock on the front door downstairs. Milo woke up and practically leaped down the stairs with Claudia and Soren following closely behind. At the door was Soren and Claudia's mom, Julianna, with Viren holding the door open.

"Julianna," Viren feigned surprise or excitement in his voice as he let her into the house. "What a delightful surprise. What are you doing here? Did Claudia or Soren invite you over?"

"Don't give me that look, Viren," Julianna barked, glowering at her ex-husband. "I was going to come to Claudia's meet, but I ran into traffic on the way, so I decided I'd take her out for dinner. You don't mind, do you?" She had her blonde hair cropped into a choppy bob, her hands on her hips, and a no-nonsense vibe about her.

"No," Viren hesitated. "I don't mind at all unless you want to join us for dinner here?" He motioned to the dining table. "There are still four chairs at the table." Claudia and Soren joined their parents in the living room area. "Ah, Claudia and Soren, just in time to convince your mother here to stay for dinner."

"Viren, don't force the kids to follow everything you say," Julianna scolded. "I'll stay for dinner unless Claudia wants to go out and get dinner somewhere else." They all turned to Claudia, who just shrugged. "Well then, I guess I'm staying for dinner."

Dinner that night was more awkward than it had ever been, with Julianna and Viren sitting across from each other for the first time in years, eating in silence. Claudia sat across from Soren, reluctant to speak up about anything. Julianna cleared her throat and turned to Claudia. "How was the meet today?" She asked with a forced smile.

"It was... okay, I guess," Claudia answered, less than enthusiastically. "I placed 7th overall."

Julianna shot Claudia a puzzled look. "7th out of 200 competitors is really impressive. Most people never get to the point that you have. Don't let anyone - " she paused to glare at Viren " - or anything convince you that you're not because you are marvelous, Claudia."

Viren interrupted the sweet moment with his own ego. "Julie, how dare you come into _my_ house and accuse me of not treating Claudia properly? She has been doing just fine under my care." He twitched his nose angrily, giving Julianna the death glare.

"Oh yeah?" Julianna roared, scowling at him. "You clearly don't know how many times she's called me, crying, because she's afraid to disappoint you. You don't hear how broken her voice sounds when she feels like she's disappointing you. You don't do anything to help her out, but then again, she wouldn't tell you if she needed help." Julie threw her napkin down on the table. "I knew I shouldn't have stayed for dinner." She pushed back her chair and stood up. "Claudia, dear, feel free to call me any time, I'm here for you. The same goes for you, Soren. As for you, Viren," she paused for a moment, thinking. "I don't even recognize you anymore. You used to be so kind and loving, what happened? You turned so cold..." Julianna gazed at Viren one last time before turning to leave. "You aren't the man I married all those years ago." With that, Julianna opened the door and left Viren's life forever.

Soren, Claudia, and Viren sat at the table, stunned. The first person to leave the table was Claudia, who went to take Milo out for a walk. Soren and Viren were left to clean up the table, which they did, with little communication.

Meanwhile, Rayla was trying to have a peaceful dinner with her dads and Callum, but of course, she didn't get what she wanted. Callum just had to blab about the girl from the meet, which led Runaan and Tinker to start needlessly teasing Rayla about her. "What did she look like? Was she your age?" Runaan interrogated, studying Rayla's facial expressions. "She's a swimmer, huh? She's definitely gay."

"Dad!" Rayla interjected, trying to change the subject. "It doesn't matter what she looked like or if she was the same age, I didn't get her number, so it doesn't matter." She sighed, rolling her eyes. "Leave me alone, alright? It's been a long day. I just want to enjoy this dinner in peace." The rest of the night was fun and games, leading to a long night with little sleep.

Saturday came, and that meant it was time to do some training at school for the next meet. Claudia needed to push herself, to show herself that she was capable of doing better. She arrived at the school, exiting Viren's car with her swim bag in hand. She took a deep breath before pushing the doors open and entering the corridor by the pool. Claudia enjoyed training on her own without being forced to lead by example. Being one of the swim captains was hard, but she made it work. The team would show up in fifteen minutes, but Claudia liked to start before they showed up.

She slipped into the pool and practiced her Butterfly stroke, trying to perfect it, when the door swung open. Claudia stopped swimming and hid as best she could until she saw who walked in. It was Rayla, of all people, who walked in. Claudia had no idea what she was doing, but she held her breath as Rayla approached the edge of the pool. She scanned the area, not realizing anyone was there before she stared at the water. "It looks so calm, but it can be so dangerous. Everyone says that it's so great to play in, but it scares me so much. When you're sitting beside a calm bit of water, it's not that bad. I don't know. I guess I'm only here to see why Claudia likes it so much." Claudia from in the pool starts to tune in to the monologue that Rayla is having with herself. "She glides through effortlessly, enjoying the time she spends here, but I just don't get the appeal, I guess. I don't understand it, this place is so peaceful. Maybe it was a mistake coming here." Rayla turned and began walking towards the door when Claudia spoke up from the water, where she had been watching.

"Hey, sorry for eavesdropping but you startled me, and I didn't have time to get out," Claudia confessed, resting her arms on the tile instead of treading water. "It's okay to be afraid of the water. It's not for everyone, but I think you've just never been exposed to it the right way. If you ever want to spend time in the pool with someone who's an expert, I'll help you any time."

"You don't have to do that," Rayla replied quickly - too quickly. She mentally slapped herself for refusing time alone with Claudia. "It would probably be a waste of time."

"If you think it'll help, I don't think it would be considered a waste of time," Claudia fired back, inspiring Rayla to take the chance and confront the thing she hated most. "I have a team practice starting in a few minutes, but after that, I'll be free if you want to hang out or something." She motioned Rayla to come over. "Can I see your phone?" Rayla handed over her phone and added her number into the contacts. "Message me in two hours, and I'll get back to you then!" Rayla smiled, waving goodbye as the rest of the team flooded the room.

Two hours later, Claudia exited the locker room, refreshed from practice, and proud of her team. She checked her phone, which was buzzing nonstop in her pocket, to find five new texts messages from a number she didn't recognize. The first text read: _"hi, it's rayla here. i don't mean to spam you immediately after your practice, but you told me to text you so... i am."_ Claudia laughed, completely forgetting the incident. She finished reading the messages and replied to them.

_claudia: hey rayla, it's claudia. i just got out of practice, so if you want to meet up somewhere, i'm down. you just let me know where._

Claudia stared at the screen while Rayla's text bubble was showing the "in progress" bar.

_rayla: hey, do you want to meet me at the coffee shop on main street? i'm nearby now, and it's not far from the school._

_claudia: awesome, i'll see you there!_

Claudia shoved her phone into the pocket of her shorts and swung her bag on her back as she walked towards the shop downtown. She texted her father, letting him know that she wouldn't be home for a little while, and then entered the quaint coffee shop. She searched the room for Rayla, who waved at her from the back corner. There was a mug sitting on the table in front of her with a cute flower printed on it. "Hey!" Rayla called, making sure there was enough room in the booth for Claudia. "I didn't know what you wanted, so I didn't order you anything. I hope you don't mind."

"No, no, not at all," Claudia answered, smiling. "I might go get a cup of Hot Brown Morning Potion, do you mind?" Rayla shook her head, giving Claudia the approval to go stand in line before ordering.

Coffee in hand, Claudia triumphantly returned to her seat with Rayla, beaming boldly. "So, babes, what do you want to talk about?" Claudia asked, plopping down casually in the booth.

Rayla's face pinked as she tore her eyes away from Claudia. "I hate to say we need to have a serious conversation, but I have something I want to tell you, and it can't wait. Are you okay with that?"

Claudia shrugged. "I'm okay with having it if you need it."

Rayla shot Claudia an appreciative look as she inhaled deeply. "So I didn't actually only show up to your meet on Friday because Callum made me, but that's part of the reason. He convinced me to join him, and me, being the way I am, couldn't say no." Claudia tilted her head, and Rayla laughed pitifully at herself. "It might sound crazy, but I like you. I _really_ like you, Claudia. When I saw you for the first time in my freshman year, I didn't know you were a swimmer. It didn't matter to me, honestly. I only found out this year when Callum told me you made captain of the swim team, but by this point, I was already hopelessly falling for you."

"You... like me?" Claudia asked, staring at her coffee cup. She didn't dare look at Rayla for fear that she might do something impulsive.

"Yeah," Rayla answered softly. "Is that okay?"

"It's not like I can't stop you." Rayla 'accidentally' let her hand fall on top of Claudia's.

"You don't have to feel the same. I just figured you should know." Rayla moved her hand when Claudia gripped it tightly. "Claudia?"

"I know this sounds crazy," Claudia muttered something under her breath that resembled, "I think I'm crazy," before she continued, "but I think I might like you too?" She phrased it as more of a question than a statement, but nonetheless, the message came across. "I know I sound unsure, and maybe I am, but whatever _this_ is, I'm ready to explore it with you," Claudia concluded, trying to avoid looking at Rayla, who was smirking as she radiated positive energy. 

"So, are you free tonight?" Rayla transitioned, the playful simper still tugging at her lips.

"I might be," Claudia replied with a devilish glint in her eye. "What do you have in mind?"

Claudia called Soren, who came and picked her up at the shop, driving her home that night. "So, how was it?" He asked, not clarifying what 'it' was.

"Oh, it was great!" Claudia sighed happily. "We got coffee and talked for what felt like hours. We had so much fun -" Soren smirked as he drove Claudia home, knowing she would realize what he did any second. "You set me up! You didn't ask about anything specifically! Jerk!" She huffed as she crossed her arms.

"It's good to see you put yourself out there though," Soren admitted, "and it's the last thing I expected from you. I thought you wanted to leave high school with no strings attached."

"I do, Soren," Claudia vented, sliding down in the passenger's seat. "I can't help how I feel, though. There's just something about her. Sara told me the other day that having a reason to come back isn't entirely a bad thing. I'm starting to think she might be right."

Soren nodded, never taking his eyes off the road. "Having roots isn't bad for you, Claudia. Just because Mom left our house doesn't mean you can't get attached to people. Your fear of commitment is extreme, and you need to loosen up. I love you, Clauds, but you seriously need to understand that people are going to hurt you. People can be real assholes, but that doesn't mean you should close yourself off."

"Yes, yes, I get it, Soren," Claudia grumbled, rolling her eyes. "I've just never liked anyone before, okay? My two best friends fell in love right before my eyes, and the first thing I felt was jealousy because they found everything they had been looking for before I did. Looking back, it was remarkably selfish of me, but I didn't know at the time. We were in eighth grade, and they both knew they were in love and okay with it." She pushed away the tears that fought to flow down her face. "They didn't have any problems accepting who they are." She wiped her eyes hurriedly. "When you came out, Dad was hesitant, but he accepted you all the same. When that happened, I was so lost that I didn't even register what you said. I couldn't concentrate on anything because I was so focused on hating myself that I couldn't breathe without thinking about it. I knew Mom would understand, so I called her daily for three weeks because I didn't know what else to do." She sniffled, trying not to burst into tears, but she was losing the fight. "Without her, I probably wouldn't be sitting here now."

"Why wouldn't you tell me all this before?" The pain in his voice struck Claudia's heart.

"I didn't feel comfortable talking about it. I wanted to get out of here, I wanted to move on, but now... Now, I don't know what I want." Tears streaked Claudia's face, each one wiped away as it fell. "Dad refused to understand that I hit a place so low, so he ignored it. He acted like it never happened, covered it up, and forced Mom to keep it a secret. You were off in college, so I didn't want to bother you with anything you didn't need to stress you out."

"Dad... really told you that?" Soren's anger level rose steadily. "I'm sorry you went through that, Claudia..."

"It's over now. We don't talk about it and for good reasons too." Claudia shrugged sluggishly. "After that, Mom helped me understand who I am as well as helped me accept it. I haven't told Dad yet, and I'm not sure I ever plan to."

"Well, do you want to have Rayla over?" Claudia hesitated before nodding. "Well, then you'll have to tell him, or at least admit it when Dad asks about it."

"Yeah, I know." Soren patted Claudia's shoulder, reassuring her. When he stopped entirely focusing on the road, the oncoming car veered towards them. Soren barely noticed in time, turning their car to avoid a collision. In the chaos, Claudia sent Rayla a text, hoping it wouldn't be her last, but knowing it could be. 

_hey rayla, i don't know if i'll be able to make it to dinner. it's not you, it's just that something has come up, but you might see it on the news tonight; i'm sorry, rayla, i told you i'd come, and i really like you, babes, don't get me wrong, i just might be in the hospital._

As soon as Claudia sent the text, the car hit the guide rail, sending Soren and Claudia flying forward into the airbags. Claudia's vision became blurry, fading in and out. She saw Soren was out cold and tried waking him up, but it did no good. He didn't move. Claudia started to dial Marcos's number, but her finger shook as she did so. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on her breathing, but by the time she did so, she couldn't open her eyes again.

The next time Soren or Claudia opened their eyes was when they were in the hospital, sharing a room. With them was their entire family, and then some, but the first person Claudia expected to be there didn't show at all. There was Callum, Ezran, Sarai, Harrow, Julianna, Milo, Marcos, and... Rayla. She sat beside Claudia's bed, her heart pounding in her chest. Soren opened his eyes but couldn't move. "Hey," Claudia whispered hoarsely, smiling weakly at everyone. "Where's Dad?" She asked, not seeing him in the room. Julianna glanced at Sarai and Harrow before sighing and stepping forward. "He, uh, he couldn't make it," She half-lied, sitting at the end of Claudia's bed.

"He didn't want to come," Claudia decoded, rolling her eyes. "It's better that he didn't anyway." She turned away from her mother, having slight pain as she did so. Julianna sighed and stood up, pushing past the curtain beside Claudia to see Soren. She sat on his bed and talked to him and Marcos for a bit, trying to understand what happened. She broke the news to him that he might end up paralyzed for life, but he should be able to get the feeling back with physical therapy. Claudia's phone kept ringing as Sara and Kimmy spammed her phone with texts.

_sara: hey, are you okay? we saw the wreck on the news, they're searching for the guy who ran you off the road._

_sara: i'm sorry we weren't there for you. kimmy and i feel awful, but your mom said that we can come by tomorrow, but she also said that you should be able to go home tomorrow, and we miss you!_

_4 missed calls from sara_

Claudia sighed and shot a quick reply to Sara, too tired to keep her eyes open for much longer.

The next few days moved slow, with Claudia going to school, coming home, and going back. Rayla and Claudia would talk in the hallways and in between classes, but when Rayla was with Claudia, Claudia's head was somewhere else. Rayla decided to give up on trying to bring her back to the real world. Claudia was stuck in her own head, distracting her from everything. Marcos noticed at swim practice, seeing her fall behind everyone else. He pulled her aside at the end to talk. "Hey, Claudia, can we talk?" Marcos called, standing beside the office for the coaches.

"Sure, I guess," she replied and hung her towel around her neck as she stood across from Marcos. "What's up, Coach?"

"I know these last few days have been rough for you, but you're better than this. You're falling behind everyone else in our drills," Marcos sighed, rubbing his temples frustratedly. "This isn't like you. I know that you and Soren are close, but you need to push past it."

"I'm sure you did too," Claudia clapped back. "I'm sure trying to get Soren home yesterday didn't hurt you at all." She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms in front of her. "Don't tell me that I need to get over it. I'm dealing with it, okay?"

"Claudia... That's not what I meant..." He reached out to comfort Claudia, but she was long gone by that point. "Someone needs to get through to her." He shook his head as he entered the coach's office.

In the locker room, it was awkwardly silent as the girls changed back from their suits. Sara and Kimmy whispered to each other worriedly about Claudia, who is usually more chatty than she was that day. "Hey, Claudia?" Sara piped up, carefully stepping towards her friend.

"What do you want, Sara?" Claudia snapped, not turning to look at her friend.

"Nevermind," Sara mumbled, grabbing her bag and running out. Kimmy sighed, taking her own bag from the bench.

"Claudia, I don't know what's gotten into you, but we miss you. Please, stop doing this to yourself." Kimmy laid her hand on Claudia's shoulder before hurrying off after Sara. Claudia turned and stared at the door, repeating what Kimmy and Marcos said in her head.

Rayla was waiting outside the locker room, hoping to get the chance to talk to Claudia for real. Claudia pushed open the door and ran straight into Rayla. "Hey!" Rayla greeted, helping Claudia up after she fell down. "Sorry for running into you."

"It's okay," Claudia brushed off monotonously. Rayla handed Claudia the bag she dropped, giving her a smile.

"Do you want to come over for dinner tonight?" She offered with a grin. Claudia hesitated, not really sure what she wanted to do. "You don't have to come, my dads just want to meet you."

"I'll do it," Claudia answered almost immediately. "I'm tired of staying with my dad for dinner, so I'm down. When do you want me to come over?"

"What about now?" Rayla asked, holding out her hand. "My dads are waiting in the car right now - not because I made them bring me here - and would love to bring you to our house now. Is that okay with you?" Claudia shrugged, nodding, and Rayla jumped in excitement. "Great! I'll lead you to the car."

The ride to Rayla's house was full of interrogating questions directed at Claudia from Runaan and Tinker. Rayla sighed, trying to change the subject but ultimately failing. "So, Claudia, what do you think of Rayla?" Runaan pressed inquisitively.

"Well, I think she's amazing," Claudia answered without really thinking. "I think she's absolutely perfect for me." Rayla's face flushed as she covered her mouth.

"Claudia..." Rayla trailed off, smiling brightly. "That's so sweet!" The three of them continued chatting, with Tink adding bits every now and then.

Claudia and Rayla sat in the latter's room while her dads forced them to stay out of the kitchen. Rayla scratched the back of her neck nervously. "Did you mean what you said in the car?"

Claudia's attention snapped to Rayla's face. "What do you mean?" She stared into Rayla's soft, lavender eyes, finding it hard to look away or remember to breathe.

"You know what I mean," Rayla answered, only just noticing Claudia's attention directed at her. "In the car, when my dad asked about your thoughts on me..." She paused, taking a deep breath. "Did you mean it?"

"I never say something I don't mean, Rayla." Claudia's eyes drifted from Rayla's down to her lips and back. "I think you're perfect, Rayla. I really do like you, babes, I want you to know that." Rayla didn't bother letting Claudia continue whatever speech she had planned. She pressed her lips gently against Claudia's, relieving whatever awkward silence or tension that hung in the air.

Dinner was ready, and Runaan had walked upstairs to get the girls to eat. He sneakily crept past the doors in the hallway, hoping to scare the girls when he found Rayla's door closed. "I could've sworn I told her to keep the door open at _least_ three inches when she has friends over," he whispered to himself. He was about to knock on the door when he noticed that neither of them were talking. He swung open the door and found Claudia and Rayla sitting practically on top of each other. "Rayla, I told you to keep the door open three inches when you have friends over." He scanned the situation and smirked. "I can tell that this is no ordinary friend. Don't get caught next time," he added playfully. "Dinner's ready, so you can come downstairs."

Rayla's head smacked into the palm of her hand. "Sorry about him, he's... something else." Claudia laughed, brushing it off.

"No, no, I like it. It's refreshing after how my father is." Claudia smiled, standing up slowly. "I guess we should head down for dinner."

"Wait," Rayla said as she reached for Claudia's wrist. "I have a question to ask you." Claudia paused, turning towards Rayla. "I know it's been a rough few days for you, but... I was wondering if you might want to have something permanent in your life, or at least have someone who wants to support you through everything." Claudia tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. "What I'm trying to say is... would you like to be official? Would you like us to be a couple?"

"Are you asking me to be your girlfriend?" A radiant grin painted Claudia's face, making her happier than she's ever been. "Of course, Rayla! That's a no brainer." Rayla was beaming, so unbelievably happy. "Let's head downstairs before your parents come up here and wonder what we're doing."

The girls took their places at the table, giggling giddily. Runaan and Tinker both knew what had happened and couldn't help but smile. The dinner was fulfilling, and the chat with it was just as satisfying.

That was the beginning of the best times of their lives. Claudia and Rayla spent most of their time together, while still making time for their friends and the other parts of their lives. Rayla faced her fear of water as Claudia began to coach her in swimming, Soren attended physical therapy until he could walk again, and Claudia found that she had everything she wanted in life. She graduated high school, finding herself in a better position. Rayla had changed her for the better, and she would be forever grateful.

"When I started this year, I wanted to leave with no strings attached," Claudia had started her graduation speech, "I wanted to go off to college, ready and willing to move forward. Lots of things changed this year, and some of them really threw off my plans. What matters is that I have reasons to come back because having roots isn't a bad thing. I learned that the hard way, but some lessons can only be learned the hard way. My brother, my mother, and my girlfriend make life all worthwhile," She paused and turned towards the rest of her peers on stage. "To my graduating class, we've been through it together. I may never speak to most of you ever again, but we're here. We did it. Thank you." Claudia stepped off the podium, almost in tears, and took her place in line.

It all happened for a reason, and Claudia wouldn't have had it any other way.

**Author's Note:**

> sorry if the pacing was a little off, i didn't want to rush it, but i didn't want to drag it out either. either way, i hope you enjoyed it! please let me know if you want more of fics like these or more raydia in general! thanks for reading!


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